Posted on 04/13/2016 6:02:40 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Rayani Air is Malaysia’s first sharia-compliant airline – there is no alcohol on the plane, female Muslim cabin crew have to wear the hijab while non-Muslims have to be decently dressed, and prayers are recited before the aircraft takes off.
The airline scored another first when it issued handwritten boarding passes to its passengers in March.
Lau Weng San’s handwritten boarding pass.
Rayani Air’s handwritten boarding passes came to the public’s attention when passenger Lau Weng San uploaded a photo of his pass dated March 18, 2016 on his Facebook account. The post subsequently went viral.
“Guaranteed to be a halal boarding pass, brother,” wrote Satees Muniandy on Lau’s Facebook page.
“No barcode on a boarding pass is a serious security risk. Anyone can print a paper boarding [pass] and walk into the plane,” wrote Shaun Amir.
Lau’s viral posting caught the attention of Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, who warned Rayani Air it will be suspended if it did not comply with all the safety regulations.
“Yes, it [a handwritten boarding pass] can be a security threat because you can’t read the handwriting. If it’s clear, then it’s different, but if it is not clear, then normally that is not the case,” Liow was quoted as saying by the MalayMailOnline.
Liow said his ministry has received many complaints against Rayani Air and was monitoring the airline closely. He added that the Transport Ministry had already issued a warning to the airline for canceling flights without prior notice and failing to provide replacement flights.
Rayani Air responded by saying it would not be issuing any more handwritten boarding passes.
“Rayani Air apologizes to all passengers who were affected by the flight delay and the confusion caused,” the airline said.
Recalling his experience, Lau said he was traveling from Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur to the eastern city of Kuching on Borneo island. His flight was delayed for more than eight hours.
“I was supposed to depart at 8:20 pm. I eventually departed the next day at 4:30 am,” Lau told The Diplomat.
Lau’s flight delay paled in comparison to passenger Derek Yeoh’s – his flight was delayed for five days.
“5 days is beyond ridiculous. Will never fly Rayani Air again. Ever,” tweeted DerekYeoh.
Rayani Air’s entry into the market was warmly welcomed by many in Muslim-majority Malaysia, enthusiastic over its sharia compliance. But poor service and incompetence have left many disappointed.
“The entry of Rayani Air should be celebrated by passengers but if they compromise on the minimum requirements on safety and punctuality, I think they are not going to survive even if they offer free seats,” said Lau, who is an opposition member of the Selangor state assembly.
Rayani Air’s bad service drew a rebuke from a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Asyraf Wajdi Dasuki, who told the airline not to use Islam to gain popularity without fully understanding and implementing its values. Asyraf is a former lecturer at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Asyraf said the concept of sharia should not be limited to attire, and its implementation should be made wider.
Asyraf said he was concerned that what’s happening with Rayani Air may affect non-Muslims’ perception towards Islam, who may see Islam as a religion that stresses only outward appearances.
He said Rayani Air needs to improve many things, including its services as a sharia-compliant airline company.
“Islam is not a label, let alone to be bought or sold. But its principles, values and morals need to be fulfilled,” he wrote.
Malaysia Airlines, the country’s major airline, suffered twin tragedies in recent years with the missing flight MH370 and the downing of MH17 over Ukraine by a Russian-made missile. Rayani Air’s bad service and handwritten boarding passes does nothing to contribute toward helping the country recover its good image in the aviation industry.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2016/04/12/the-real-reason-rayani-air-went-kaput/
Plus the surprise destination could be the side of a mountain or the bottom of the ocean at full speed. It’s a mystery flight!
Yeah, it’ll do aces with tourists and other fliers.
Might as well cash in right now.
‘.. this is your Captain speaking: ALLAHU AKHBAR!’
lol - and the poor passengers aren’t even allowed a last drink!
Egypt air had that special some years back where they would fly you from JFK to JFK Jr
ALL moozlums should fly this loser airline. The rest of us know to avoid it.
Or, the 57th floor of a high-rise building.
Praying to a demon god Allah before the flight? I think I’d pass this carrier.
Among other perceptions of islam....
Interesting reactions in the article.
Maybe this is a sign from Allah, warning us not to misuse religion for personal gain. Maybe this is God’s way of telling us not to use religion as a marketing gimmick – in which case, you could consider the airline’s failure as the result of the Almighty’s wrath (I’m just saying).
But Rayani Air was not the only one that failed to abide by shariah principles. If travellers who chose to fly with the airline were truly Islamic, wouldn’t they have simply accepted flight delays and cancellations philosophically and stoically – or qada and qadar, as the will of Allah? To complain or protest is not very shariah-compliant behaviour, wouldn’t you agree?
Having ridden in taxis in Muslim countries, it's a wonder that the pilots could be truly shariah compliant.
Stupid muslims trapped into utilizing Western invented and developed technologies to get into the air.
Where are all their winged horses and flying carpets?
They say "decently" but they mean submissively.
Martyrs ‘R Us?
They did go under, I think.
The story about the hand written boarding passes is not unusual. It’s done fairly often if the airline computer system goes down. There’s nothing odd about it, really.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.